25 May 2015

Oasis was one of the biggest rock bands to emerge from the U.K. in the early 1990s—possibly, the biggest. Known for its staggering volume, its lofty ambitions, and the infamously inimical brothers who formed its swaggering core, the band rode a wave of wild successes and excesses through the late 2000s. If you've ever warbled along to their 1995 mega-hit "Wonderwall," you're familiar with the songwriting strengths that buoyed the band throughout its duration.

Noel Gallagher would very much like to remind you that he is the singular ear behind the band's formidable catalog. "The reason why so many of my songs sound like Oasis is because I wrote all the songs for Oasis," he tells Soundcheck's John Schaefer. "That’s my style."

And the rowdily outspoken musician—now something of an elder statesman of British rock—shows no signs of slowing down. After Oasis split in 2009, he released his first solo album, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, to widespread critical acclaim. This year, he followed it up with Chasing Yesterday, which continues to showcase his equal penchants for stadium-swelling melodies, timeless-sounding rock riffs, and Kinks-esque social commentary.

"I don’t particularly want to sound contemporary or that god-awful term that was invented, 'modern rock'," he says. "I don’t want to sound like that."

And this time around he got a little help from his friends to make those classic sounds: guitar hero Johnny Marr (The Smiths) played on the album's closing track, the groove-heavy "Ballad of the Mighty I."

"I called him...he said yeah. And I swear to God, I didn’t tell him what to play and he didn’t want to hear the track beforehand. When he walked in, I had an idea in my head what I wanted him to play, and I was kind of hoping he’d play it...and it was the first thing he played. He’s one of the greatest."